Wailaki, also known as Eel River, is an extinct and revitalizing
Athabaskan language spoken by the people of the
Round Valley Reservation of northern California, one of four languages belonging to the ''California Athabaskan'' cluster of the
Pacific Coast Athabaskan languages. Dialect clusters reflect the four Wailaki-speaking peoples, the
Sinkyone,
Wailaki,
Nongatl, and
Lassik, of the
Eel River confederation. While less documented than Hupa, it is considered to be close to it. It went dormant in the 1960s, but in modern times it is being revived.
Phonology
The sounds in Wailaki:
Consonants
Vowels
Vowels in Wailaki are /i e a o/, and with length as /iː eː aː oː/.
Grammar
Wailaki is
polysynthetic, meaning that a single word in it is expressed in English as a sentence.
References
*
*
*
External links
Wailaki languageoverview at the
Survey of California and Other Indian Languages
Wailaki Language (Sinkyone, Lassik, Nongatl, Eel River Athabaskan)OLAC resources in and about the Wailaki language
{{Authority control
Indigenous languages of California
Pacific Coast Athabaskan languages
Eel River Athapaskan peoples